When you find an author that consistently writes stellar stories, you grab their books and immerse yourself in them as soon as they become available. Elizabeth Berg is one of those authors. I know I will never be disappointed with any book written by her. This was no exception, as this was one of her best books yet.

Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg is a 2018 Random House publication.

A sweet, whimsical story that pays forward the tradition of kindness started by Arthur Truluv-

In this follow up to “The Story of Arthur Truluv, the reader is reunited with Lucille and Maddy, as they embark on the next big adventure in their lives.

Lucille has started to teach a baking class, which is very successful. Maddy, left home, but has returned to visit Lucille and has a big announcement to make. Meanwhile, readers follow several characters connected to Lucille in some way- her neighbor, who has been diagnosed with cancer, the awkward romance of one of her baking class students, and, Iris, her new assistant.

While this second installment isn’t quite a strong as the first one, there is plenty to love about this story. The eccentric group of characters, each struggling with trials and heartache, find a niche, or comfort in some way from Lucille and her kitchen.

While some of the topics addressed are serious ones, the charming and whimsical mood remains intact, from start to finish. Once again, we experience the power of kindness, neighborliness, and friendship. It is also a reminder to anyone of a certain age that life goes in cycles. Keep living yours with as much gusto as possible, all the way up to the ‘jumping off place’.

Overall, this another wonderfully warm ‘feel good’ story. I am hoping that some of the characters introduced in this book will become main characters in future installments and carry on the traditions set forth by Arthur to future generations.

You can never have too books like this one.

4 stars

If you read my review of The Story of Arthur Truluv, then you know that I loved that story. I was so excited to see that this was a companion novel to that beautiful story. I jumped in expecting it to continue with the story of Maddy but this story was a bit different. It took me a little bit of time to get into, but once I did, I was all in.

I love Elizabeth Berg’s writing style and her stories are so atmospheric and touching that I can’t complain about any of them. This story grabs hold of your heart and does not let it go even long after you are done reading the story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ecopy of this book.
A sequel to "The Story Arthur Truluv," and I recommend that this book is read before you read, "Night of Miracles."
A sweet story about family, friends, community, and love.

After reading this book, I really am anxious to read the first book. Each chapter is about a different person that lives in this small town. At first, I was getting the characters confused! After I got to know them, the book moved along nicely.

This is a feel good book about a small town and how the community all help one another. It was just a fun read with sweet, caring people. Lucille was my favorite with her cooking classes and absolutely beautiful cakes. I could picture them in my mind!

Looking for a good book, this is one that I would definitely recommend!

* I was provided an ARC to read from the publisher and NetGalley. It was my decision to read and review this book.

Brilliant characterization, a unique author voice and a compelling plot make for a very enjoyable read. Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I was so very happy to revisit the small town of Mason, Missouri, where we were first introduced to Arthur Truluv! We now see how life is for Lucille, his elderly neighbor who came to live in his home after he died. LOVE Lucille, and there are some new characters and a couple from the first book, that are just wonderful!
This book just made me happy, great timing for me to read it!

Thank you to Elizabeth Berg for writing this sequel!
Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for making this book available to me!

This book was exactly what I needed to read this Thanksgiving week. It is filled with hope, love, joy, kindness, and laughs thrown in for good measure.

We return to Mason, Missouri, the neighborhood we first visited in The Story of Arthur Truluv. We see just what has happened since Arthur left this earth. Lucille is still mourning the loss of Frank and she keeps having dreams of Death coming to take her home. She keeps putting him off as she hopes for a miracle. We all hope for that miracle right along with her. The cast of characters around her are so endearing, from Iris who is starting over after a long marriage, to Tiny and Monica, who both like each other but just can’t seem to get it together. We also have Lucille’s new neighbors, living in her old house, they are dealing with something none of us ever want to.

You will absolutely fall in love with each and every one of them. You will root for them all to find that love and happiness that they all deserve. You will probably be craving some caramel cake or any of the obscenely wonderful sounding baked goods. Isn’t that the perfect read for such a special holiday? I am thankful I picked this little gem up and read it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for a copy of this special book.

by Maggie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Whimsical and heartwarming
November 19, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
Elizabeth Berg is one of my very favorite authors. The Night of Miracles is a whimsical and heartwarming story of small town lives and how humans are at their best when helping others. I had somehow missed the previous story in the series, but enjoyed this book on its own. Highly recommended.

Another visit with Lucille, Maddy and Nola from The Story of Arthur Truluv as well as many other wonderful characters! I was excited to continue the story of these characters and see where they've gone in life. Lucille is really the star of this book. It's amazing her transformation from the beginning of her story in Arthur to her story here. This is a lovely story of friendship, community and love. A perfect feel good story especially leading into the holidays.

New characters interact wirh characters from The Story of Arthur Truluv each hopng for a miracle. Told from different characters perspectives, Berg successfully blends them into a whole.

How pleased I was to receive the latest Elizabeth Berg book from NetGalley. When I reviewed The Story of Arthur Truluv, I wrote I would have given it 10 stars if I could. I'm happy to say that this sequel to the story of that unique family is just as good. This charming book is set in small town Missouri and has much of the flavor of Fannie Flagg at her best. It made me want to pack my bags and head to the community where everyone knows each other, provides rides and shelter as needed and shares recipes and tips on how to win the love of your life.
As any writer knows, a story must have a conflict, but in Night of Miracles, there is no real villain, just people who aren't right for each other, and the reader feels sure from the first page that all misunderstandings will eventually be resolved. With each resolution, this reader felt more content. Even a death, and oh yes, the story of a small town must include a death, came at the right time and in the right way.
My only small complaint was the rapid introduction of the women of Mason, Missouri at the start of the book, which made me mix up the cast of characters for awhile. Once that was all sorted, It was clear that each female from the oldest, Lucille, to young Nola were completely and uniquely formed. As were the men of the story too, from the ironically-named Tiny to the sensitive Lincoln.
This story was a gem from beginning to end, and let me encourage you to reread the introduction and the final page at least once to connect yourself even more closely to the story told in these pages.

I was so excited to see that Elizabeth Berg wrote a sequel to Arthur Truluv. This is listed as book 2 in the Arthur Truluv series and I can only hope there are many more. Lucille, Maddie and Nola are the main characters but there are several romance lines throughout the story. I highly recommend you read the The Story of Arthur Truluv first just to savor the great people in small town Mason. New folks move in next door to Lucille and with an illness in their family, Lucille watches their young son, Lincoln. This is a wonderful story you will enjoy and I'd recommend buying it for the reader on your list. It's wholesome and sweet with just a touch of sadness. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The beautiful cover is one of the first things that catches your eye. The second might be the reference to the previous book, the The Story of Arthur Truluv.
We return to the people a few years after we left them last. Although we return to a familiar place, it has just a few familiar names. This of course means that you can pick this book up without having the previous one as a frame of reference. Although reading it in order will help make the process more fulfilling. The town has a lot of fresh faces, some who have always been there unknown to us and a few newer ones with heartaches of their own. Each get to deal with their problems and in the process help each other out. I spent the second half of the book in tears. The only reason I did not give it a full five stars (if you are wondering about that, considering I am singing its praises ) is that they were too many people, each pulling me towards their own little story and that had me too distracted to internalize the entire thing. Some events may seem too convenient(the sprinkles of miracles), but that is the beauty of a tale such as this. It is a place where you go to seek shelter from the real trials of the world. A place where, despite not being perfect, people do the best that they can to make life a little more brighter !

Night of Miracles

by Elizabeth Berg

One of the most interesting things in the world is people. Elizabeth Berg created a gentle, touching world in The Story of Arthur Truluv. Then she expanded on the core characters, adding more characters that tie into one another in Night of Miracles. The chapters are short; the novel is a character driven set of tales of common people living out their interesting lives looking for meaning in the everyday circumstances and the extraordinary ones.

Arthur Truluv’s legacy of calmness and kindness lives on in the family he adopted. His neighbor Lucille’s legacy is the culinary wisdom she imparts during an age of “fast” everything. Neighbors Jason and Abby learn the importance of living in the present. Tiny and Monica learn to share the love that has been in front of them all along. The chapters bounce back and forth from one storyline to the next. This is one of those stories I had to keep reading. I read the last of the book with tissue in hand, not because it is tragic, but because there is sweet sadness in knowing that life keeps progressing toward an inevitable conclusion and we can find happiness by reaching out to share life with others.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Random House for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Women’s Fiction

Notes: For those who enjoyed The Story of Arthur Truluv, this is not a sequel in the traditional sense. It takes a few of the characters from that book and builds a story around them. Although it could happen, I wouldn’t expect any more stories in this line. From my perspective the story has been told.

Publication: November 13, 2018—Random House

Memorable Lines:

It was true what they told her on the first day of teachers’ college: you never forget some of your students. For Lucille, it was the cut-ups she could never keep from laughing at, the dreamers she had to keep reeling back into the classroom, and little Danny Matthews, with his ragged heart of gold.

At least Link loves to read. There’s always hope when a kid—or an adult, for that matter—likes to read.

All those years, and not one person that she had truly opened up to, or kept up with. Probably she expected her husband to be everything to her when it wasn’t his place to do that, even if he wanted to or could. Another thing she regrets: having made him feel that he was failing her when she was the one failing herself.

Sweet yet thoughtful exploration of the ties that bind us even after we have suffered great losses. Author Elizabeth Berg continues with main characters first introduced in a prior book and readers get a chance to learn how they have faired over time. Aging is not for the timid and a fair representation of it is depicted. Much of the book shares commonality with Fannie Flagg’s work as we learn about different members of a small community who interact in small or meaningful ways. This is a fast read that leaves a warm feeling in its wake. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

In Night of Miracles Elizabeth Berg continues The Story of Arthur Truluv. She focuepses on Lucille and her new relationships with neighbors and an assistant new to town. A lot of people depend on Lucille and she doesn’t disappoint. This book is billed as a feel good story and it lives up to this.

4.5 stars!

Books that are very sweet or saccharine are usually a big turn off. But when there is literally sugary sweetness, as in cookies and cakes, and lots of them, count me in. And with this author, I am 100% in, knowing it's going to be a moving experience, as it was.

Lucille, alone in life but never lonely with all her good friends, has opened her house to baking classes, so there is much to drool over while she describes her goodies. Ancillary characters either work in or go to the local restaurant for breakfast -- some will order an Overnight FrenchToast which makes its own syrup. Yes, lots of sweetness.

As in Arthur Truluv, the characters that Berg has created are people you would want to know. My favorites were Iris, a recent divorcee from Boston, trying out small town Missouri for the first time, and Tiny, a thoughtful, kind taxi driver and friend to all. Oh, and little Link, Lucille's precocious neighbor boy whose mother has cancer.

I enjoyed this tremendously, through lots of tears (happy tears and sad too), and recommend to anyone, especially if you liked Arthur Truluv. If Ms. Berg writes more of these small town tomes, count me in.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy.

I received this book "Night of Miracles" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. So first I need to say that I didn't know there was book before this (The Story of Arthur Truluv) so I read them out of order but I don't think it really mattered. I enjoyed the story and then went back to borrow the previous book from the library. This is a fun book about people living in a small town where people look out for each other and help them when needed. I enjoyed both books.

4.5 stars

It has been a while since I was so charmed and taken by a story. I loved The Story of Arthur Truluv and now we have Night of Miracles, which is the delightful sequel. It would work as a standalone but do yourself a favor and read Arthur Truluv first. I read/listened to this in one day.

Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors. I’ve been following her since back in the day when my children were young and she wrote a column for Parents Magazine. She is one of the few authors who has a way of eloquently putting into words what we feel in our hearts.

The story centers around the small town of Mason, Missouri. Lucille is back and Maddy and her daughter make a cameo appearance. Several new characters are introduced, people I’d love to have as my friends and neighbors. They have their struggles and heartaches just like any of us but they deal with them with grace, humor, wisdom, and love. By the end, each will get their own small (and not so small) miracle.

From Elizabeth’s web page, in answer to the question of what was her inspiration for this series says:
“I found myself becoming increasingly depressed about the way the world seems to be going. I wanted to write myself out of my own funk, to remind myself of the beauty in the world, and in small things.”

This is a series that will restore your faith in human goodness. It is sweet and funny; sad yet also uplifting. Who doesn’t need more of that in our lives?

*Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House
* This is also excellent on audio. E Berg was wonderful as the narrator.